


Squares Are Better Than Triangles

by ednae



Category: League of Legends
Genre: Ekko is the Mom Friend, Established Relationship, Jinx needs love, May Prompt Challenge, Multi, Polyamory, Schizophrenia, Slow Burn, Trans Male Character, Tumblr Prompt, not me apparently, this is a mess and so is the love square, who cares if it's not may anymore
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-05
Updated: 2016-06-09
Packaged: 2018-06-06 11:15:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6751735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ednae/pseuds/ednae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of one-shots based on twenty prompts from <a href="http://inkstay.tumblr.com/post/143674631334/may-prompts">Inkstay's</a> tumblr, all focused on my fave love square, Lux/Ezreal/Ekko/Jinx.  (Specific mixtures of the pairings are stated in the chapter summary)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Never had I seen someone look so lost in their own skin before. (Lux/Jinx)

Never had she seen someone who looked so lost in their own skin before.

Lux was her support today, and Jinx had reveled in the idea of finally being able to take a closer look at this shining prodigy from Demacia.  She was just the right kind of person who was most fun to annoy: stuck-up, proper, no-nonsense.  Everything that Jinx wasn't.  The idea of turning that pretty face ugly with frustration left Jinx almost breathless.

But it had been only five minutes into the battle that Jinx finally got a good look at her.

Jinx wasn't a person who spent a whole lot of time looking at other people.  Really, since she had left Zaun for bigger and better things, she hadn't spent a whole lot of time on anything—well, except her guns.  But that was an exception.  Her guns, obnoxious as they were, were her best friends, and she couldn't just abandon them for anything else.  They'd probably get mad and shoot her face off if she even thought about it.

Oh, right.  That girl.  When they had locked eyes on the Rift, only five minutes in, Jinx had finally _seen_ her.  It had been only a brief moment, but that moment was all she needed.  She saw through the icky façade of Perfect Princess and saw a girl much more interesting.

Jinx wasn't by any means a stupid person.  She could normally figure out what a person was hiding: their motives, the truth, the secret password to an underground nightclub.  She wondered, then, how she had never seen Lux's face so totally unguarded, unmasked just enough for Jinx to see what made the girl tick.

Lux was unsure of herself, Jinx realized.  Those sky-blue eyes were clouded with uncertainty.  The perfectly trimmed eyebrows were furrowed together even as they went up, hidden behind her bangs.  Her body was rigid, tense, as if she were terrified of some nonexistent threat—and really, with her immense battle skills and tactical knowledge, there should have been no threat great enough to scare Lux, even on the Rift.

Maybe it was some kind of inward stress, she reasoned.  Jinx didn't know too much about Lux, but she had seen enough since joining the League that she could handle almost anything.  She was a genius, a prodigy with masterful command of magic.  She was Demacian nobility, rich and powerful beyond Jinx's comprehension.  Her outward appearance was simply glorious, a golden angel whose power could make even the strongest of people fall to their knees at her command.

She hadn't thought that Lux could be anything but strong, unwavering even in the face of certain death, and yet here she was, scared, tired, stressed, _lost_.  As if she didn't know what she was fighting for.

Jinx sure was glad that she was nothing like that.

* * *

Never had she seen someone who looked so lost in their own skin before.

She was Jinx's support today, and she was disgusted at the idea of having to be so close to the menace who found pleasure in destruction and mayhem.  Jinx was, quite possibly, the most unfortunate person she'd ever had the displeasure to lane with: careless, loud, excessive.  Everything that Lux wasn't.  The idea of spending any time around that girl had Lux's face turning sour.

But it had been only five minutes into the battle that Lux finally got a good look at her.

Before, she had written off the girl as a menace to society.  And why shouldn't she?  Jinx took pride in her "work," and by that she meant she was proud of how many people she'd killed, how many cities she'd razed to the ground, how many lives she'd destroyed.  Jinx was nothing more than a criminal, and she deserved a criminal's punishment.

But when perfect, well-rested blue met wild, bloodshot pink, the latter pair widening in some strange expression—realization? worry?—she felt her own eyes becoming wider as her eyebrows lifted into her bangs.

There was something about the girl—the _criminal_ , the _lunatic_ , she tried to remind herself, but each barrage of insults grew weaker as she believed them less and less—that she recognized, and her heart began to pound at her chest, threatening to break free. 

She was unsure of herself, Lux realized.  The bags under her eyes dragged down her face, making it seem even more hollow than usual.  Her pale skin looked sickly, and it betrayed more starkly the premature wrinkles which lined her forehead.  Her body was tense, as if she were scared of some kind of threat—and yet, with her handiwork with a gun and her careless personality, Lux couldn't fathom why Jinx would ever perceive anyone as a threat.

Maybe it was from an inward stress, she reasoned.  Lux had read reports on her; she knew practically everything there was to know; know thy enemy, or something.  She knew about the sickness she had been fighting since she left Zaun, which had left her without friends or family, without home or safety.  She knew that she had been all but forced into a criminal lifestyle— _that didn't excuse her behavior_ , she scolded herself, but the thought was fleeting, and it was forgotten as she gazed into the pink eyes, which were not darting from side to side, scoping out some kind of threat, but were finally still, calm for the first time since she had met Jinx.

She hadn't thought that Jinx could be anything but a menace, uncaring even in the face of certain death, and yet here she was, scared, tired, stressed, _lost_.  As if she didn't know what she was fighting for.

Lux sure was glad that she was nothing like that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not a fan of this one because I don't think I captured Jinx well. Oops ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> (also just fucking kill me idk how to work with the complexity of ao3's formatting for chapters and i need to leave)


	2. The Shape of Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Write about the shape of memories. (Jinx/Ekko)

If time was a river, memories were a pond.  A giant, circular pond with no real edges or end.  There was no bottom to the pond, but rather an infinite depth which kept going and going forever the farther you went down, but as you kept going, it would become harder to breathe until finally, you would pass out and slip back into the unconsciousness out of which you were born.

Memories were never something Ekko liked to recall, which by its namesake was a bit hard to do.  Nonetheless, he would try his best to erase any and all memories he could, scrubbing clean the pond until it was a shallow pool of light blue water undulating listlessly over a barren earth floor just inches beneath the surface.

 _Try_ , he thought bitterly as he was thrust deep into the vast darkness of the pond, _was the key word_.

That girl had walked out of his life long ago, and he'd been more than willing to let her go.  When she started talking to her firearms like they were actual _people_ , when she started ignoring the _real people_ around her, when she turned into her mind and away from her friends and family, Ekko had given up on her.  Forgotten about her.  Plucked the pink and blue algae from his pond and tossed it to the wind to be carried in the breeze, hopefully to Piltover with her.

The thing about living things, he found out as he met Jinx's eyes for the first time in years, is that they tend to grow back when haphazardly removed.  His mind reeled as the very same algae grew back, thicker this time, in his pond of memories.

He remembered her smile.  It had been what had first intrigued him.  The candid radiance was overwhelming, and he'd had to turn away as his dark skin grew hot.  Her complete and utter joy had left him breathless, and he'd known that he would never experience anything so pure again in his life.

The next memory to resurface, forming a heavy ripple on the pond, was the moment he'd fallen in love, so far back that she had still only been referred to by the number Ten.  When she had shown him the gun she was working on—she called it Fishbones, he remembered, as if it had only happened yesterday.  They were in her room of the abandoned building where her gang had set up their hideout.  Drawings and equations covered every inch of every leaf of paper, and the paper covered every inch of the room.

There were diagrams of various hextech creations, the likes of which he'd never seen.  There were guns and lasers of all kinds, sure, but there were also ingenious models for massive ships and buildings, portals and rockets, gauntlets and armor.  Ekko had been struck into silence at the incredible detail and intelligence behind each drawing, each of which had dozens of long equations worked out beside it.

Ten had spread her arms wide and spun around her room, landing with an _oof_ on the dusty wooden floorboard.  She didn't seem to have been hurt, and she ended up giggling on the floor, pulling her bloody and scabbed knees up to her chest so that she could rest her head on them without regard to her injuries.

Ekko had taken one last glance around her room before joining her on the floor, pushing out of his way a book, which had become unbound and was now just a stack of torn paper.  He had smiled at her as he took in this new side of her, the genius hidden behind a carefree and quirky girl.

"I'm gonna be an inventor," she had said as she rocked back and forth, looking around at her diagrams, face alight with pride.

"They're really good designs," he'd told her, even though he never took his eyes off her.  He'd much preferred to admire her unkempt blue hair which pooled around her waist as it brushed against the dirty floor, picking up even more grime than it had collected from neglect.  He had wanted to lose himself in her pink eyes, which seemed to shine brightly despite the dim lamplight which cast deep shadows over her pale, pimpled face.  He had wanted to stay there forever, to take her hand so completely stained with grease and oil that it looked gloved in expensive black lace, to sit next to her until the sun rose and illuminated both of their ripped and dulled clothing, rags which had never been washed or even removed from their bodies since they had found them.

"I'm not too strong right now," Ten sighed, glancing over at him with those mesmerizing eyes, and Ekko had tried not to stare too long at her as she chewed at her chapped and cracked lips, blood coming up through the skin and staining it a tempting, kissable pink.  "But when I finish Fishbones, I'll be able to protect everyone in the gang—you too, if you want, I guess."

He'd torn his eyes from her thin lips and looked back into her own pink, bloodshot orbs— _gods_ , was there any part of her that didn't demand his full attention and awe?—to smile at her suggestion.  "Do I need protecting?"

"Well _duh_."  She actually reached over with a balled up fist, knuckles scarred and standing out in stark contrast of the white of her skin, and she rapped him on the head.  "Everyone needs a keeper.  Six is mine, and I'll be yours."

Her smile was infectious, and he had known then that he'd succumbed to her as soon as he had walked through the threshold to her room.

Oh, how cruelly the world plays with the hearts of the impressionable and ignorant.

Ekko's memories swirled around in his mind, flashes of Ten and her smile, her eyes, her hair, her legs, her arms, her _everything_ consuming his every thought.

He didn't notice when she— _Jinx_ , a small, unassuming voice chastised in the back of his mind—cocked her head at him as he stared at him, lost in his mind.  When she waved at him, shouting his number loud and clear for everyone to hear, he was finally shaken from his unwitting reverie.  She formed the shape of guns with her fingers, swinging them back and forth as she winked at him.

Slowly, a smile tugged at his lips, and he allowed himself to give in to the nostalgic feeling, if only just this once.


	3. Phobias

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Describe the monsters under your bed. (Ekko/Ezreal)

Monsters shouldn't scare Ezreal.  Especially not the made-up kind that stupidly hid under your bed when a much more accessible hiding place would be your _closet_ , or behind your _curtains_ , or something.

He was an explorer, and he spent days camped out in dirty places of varying degrees of inhospitality.  He was more than comfortable with the creepy-crawlies of the wild creepy-crawling all over his body while he tried to relax for a break from his expeditions.  The dark was a trivial matter, and deep shadows were no more threatening than a puppy.

Rationale and reason flew out the window as soon as he nestled into his bed.  Ezreal was home for the first time in two months, having been in Shurima looking for ancient artifacts, possibly some new insight to the kingdom over which that Ascendant, Azir, ruled.  He'd come home with shining stones and tarnished, broken bits of armor, but nothing groundbreaking.  He would try again later.

Now, he had to fight off a rising panic attack as he watched his room, unfamiliar to him after being away for so long, twist and transform into something malevolent.  He had forgotten to check under his bed when he had kicked off his boots for the night, and now he was stuck under the covers, awaiting whatever horrors would pop out and eat his face off.

Monsters _shouldn't_ scare Ezreal.  That didn't mean they didn't.

The last time he had forgotten to check under his bed for a lingering baddie, some creature of the Void had destroyed the inn he had been staying in, killing almost all of the residents for that night.  He remembered the hollow, unseeing eyes of the innkeeper as he ran away from the monster, blinking through walls to throw off the creature as it chased him through the inn.  Something about the Void being drawn to his magic, or whatever.

If he was prepared, he could deal with it.  Tonight, he wasn't prepared, and so he squidged his toes together, bunching up his socks as he played around nervously with the thick quilts that covered him and offered mediocre protection from whatever monster was almost certain to show up that night.

The dark room around him was endless, and he found himself gasping for breath as his heart beat faster until all he could see were dark swirls dancing around his vision, blinding him with fear.  The only sounds in the room were the heavy thumps of his heart and the uneven breaths that encircled his head like a warm halo of mist.

 _Oh, gods_ , was that _his_ breath, or was it the _monster's_?  He couldn't tell through his panic, couldn't keep a level head to make his brain work properly, and his skin prickled until the first choked sob assured him that _yes_ , the breath was his, and he was an idiot for thinking otherwise.

A light flickered on outside his room, the cracked door allowing the glow to trickle in from the hallway.  _This is it_ , Ezreal thought.  _This is the end for me_.

The monster was right outside, and it was mocking him before he came in and ripped him to shreds with its horrifying claws and fangs.  He imagined it as blue, because he hadn't seen a blue monster in a while.  It might have had spikes growing out of its back, with imperceptible lips pulled back in a snarl to reveal sharp rows black and yellow teeth.  It probably had a scaly hide and beady eyes which glowed a fiery red.  It _definitely_ had a long, slithering body perfect for constricting and five talons on each foot that could slice through his bed with nary a thought.

Ezreal had all but accepted his fate as the door creaked open, and he screamed as soon as he caught the first sight of the spikes of his killer.

"Ez, what the hell," Ekko mumbled as he rubbed sleep from his eye, pushing himself farther into the room.  Ezreal's screams cut off suddenly as he realized his mistake.

"O-oh, um," he said, turning on his side to better see the boy.  Ekko was in Ezreal's clothing, borrowed the evening before: a loose tank top that hung just low enough that Ezreal could see a distinct lack of chest bindings, and dark sweatpants so baggy that they looked like they were falling off of his slight frame.

The sleep having been cleared properly from his eyes, Ekko finally got a good look at the boy in the bed.  "Dude, you okay?"

He'd never had anyone to share his fear with before, and now that he was faced with it, Ezreal was dumbstruck.  He wasn't entirely sure what to say, and so he said the first thing that came to his mind.  "The monster is gonna eat me."

If he hadn't been in the throes of a panic attack, he might have hit himself.  He sounded like a kid.

"Wait, are you serious?"  Ekko remained oblivious to Ezreal's inner chastising, and he instead chose to focus on the very obviously panicking boy in front of him.  He came further into the room, but a raised hand from Ezreal stopped him.

"No, it'll get you, too," he said, his voice shaky as he tried his best to calm down.

"Is it under your bed?" Ekko asked, looking around briefly before settling his gaze on Ezreal's.  He nodded, beginning to cry, the mystically glowing triangles adorning his face causing the tears to twinkle in the darkness.

Ekko dropped to the floor, and Ezreal gathered his blankets up around his face in hope that it would offer some protection once the monster under his bed took Ekko and came for him next.

To Ezreal's shock, Ekko's mussed spikes popped back up next to his bed, startling the boy.  The monster hadn't gotten him!  The idea that Ekko was still alive allowed Ezreal to start calming down, and a strange warmth spread throughout his chest.

"Hey, look, there's no monster under there," Ekko assured, his voice calm and soothing.  He propped an elbow onto Ezreal's bed, leaning forward into the other.

"You're sure?"  The relief that flooded him knocked the breath out of him, but he nearly instantly relaxed into the boy's touch.  Ekko's spikes bobbed up and down as he nodded, and then a dark, calloused hand was reaching up, stopping only briefly above Ezreal's face before Ekko began to run his fingers through his blond hair.

"No monsters here, Ez.  Promise."  Ekko lifted his head just enough to flash him a warm smile, and then it dropped back down onto the quilt.  "You're safe."

Ezreal was about to offer for Ekko to lay on the bed with him, but as soon as he opened his mouth to speak, the fingers playing with his hair stopped, his hand going limp across Ezreal's face.  Ekko's breath slowed and evened out, and Ezreal sighed as he realized that he'd have to deal with his incessant complaining in the morning.  Well, it wasn't his fault that the boy put himself in these terrible positions and would end up with back pain.

Ezreal took one last look around his now-decidedly safe room, and he let himself fall into sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ez is a big fat scaredy cat tbh but I love him :^) And seriously can you even contest that Ekko would be the Mom Friend? I dare you.


	4. Contrastive Speculation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I know how this ends - I just forgot how it started. (Lux/Ezreal)

The two of them were similar in only two ways.  First, their hair: a shimmery golden color that caught light effortlessly, creating a halo around their heads.  Second, their eyes: a clear, ocean blue that gleamed with energy and excitement.  There was nothing more, and nothing less.

Their personalities were like night and day, except Lux had to admit that Diana and Leona could be pretty similar, rendering the comparison useless.

Ezreal was an explorer.  He was genuinely interested in the world around him, and he would spend months in the wild just to find some meager artifact to give him insight into the past.  He would gush about his findings, confusing jargon spilling out of his mouth like a waterfall whenever he got the chance.  He had no filter, no thought to mind his manners as he entrapped anyone and everyone who came within hearing range, pulling them into a new rant about the history of some ancient culture he had discovered.

Lux was a tactician.  She was bold but cautious, and she could read people like a children's book.  She was nothing less than a genius in her own right, and she used her power to her advantage at every moment.  Her skills were nearly unparalleled, and she had never met her equal.  From the first word someone spoke, she knew every single possible outcome of any conversation, depending on which way she wove it to her satisfaction.

Except, of course, when Ezreal was involved.  His utter lack of care for his surroundings left him incorrigible in the face of Lux's usual tactics, and try as she may, she could never quite understand him fully.  To her, he was something of an enigma, even though he was open and thoughtless with his speech.  He infuriated her to no end.

His charms were almost nonexistent.  He hardly showered or washed his clothes, and while he was certainly intelligent in his own right, she could barely keep up with the blather that came from his mouth at a mile a minute.  He smelled, and he had horrible taste in fashion.  He never stopped gloating about his accomplishments, and yet he never tried hard enough to deserve them.  He had everything handed to him on a silver plate, and he acted like it.

And yet, she thought as she snuggled closer into his warm side, there was something refreshing about him, some kind of challenge he posed that no other person could give her.  He was different than the others, and she liked that.

The cool air of Piltover swept across the balcony outside Ezreal's small, messy loft, and he pulled his arm more tightly around her, shielding her from the elements as they watched the sunrise over the tall buildings on the horizon.  Lux recalled a distant memory when she wouldn't have spat in the boy's direction, the thought of touching him so revolting that it caused bile to rise in the back of her throat.

She couldn't remember how _this_ —the late-night chats, the touching, the hugs, the kisses—had started.  Lux smiled up at him as she realized that it didn't really matter; she knew how it ended up, and that was all she needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LOL I'm skipping #4 like for realsies I'm too into purple prose to deal with that level of succinctness and attention to detail. Anyway this is short but I don't really care I think it's okay as-is.


	5. Mourning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some people will always come back and haunt you, no matter how deep you’ll bury them. (Ekko/Ezreal/Jinx)

The mural, hidden from casual onlookers in the back of an alley, was an elegant memorial to all those lost on the streets of Zaun.  It had been started a couple years ago by one of the older members of a rival gang, and since then, all the street rats had been contributing to it in what ways they could, from painting a portrait of a fallen comrade to leaving one of the hundreds of candles to keeping those candles burning, day and night.  There was no segregation; all of the dead were treated as equals, even by sworn enemies.  This was a level of respect that all of them were held to, and no one dared violate this unspoken rule.

Ekko sat against the opposite wall, listening to the soft hum of his Z-Drive on his hip.  Somehow, the device managed to be louder than the various other noises of Zaun, but he chalked it up to familiarity with the sound and let it lull him into a state of peace and calm.

His eyes traced the careful lines of each portrait, some colors from one picture melting into another nearby.  Occasionally, someone would come and touch up the pictures, making sure that each painting was always in good shape so that they would never fade.

Ekko didn't know a lot of them, despite their numbers written somewhere on each face, but he made sure to acknowledge them every time he came to the mural.  It was only right.  That night, however, he was there for someone in particular.

It wasn't the largest painting, but it was the most forefront, having been drawn more recently than the others on that wall.  Ekko remembered painting it, not long after his friend had died.  Though his paint had gotten watered down from his tears, he had kept to the painting into the morning, working tirelessly until Ajuna was captured flawlessly on the mural, his puffy cheeks drawn up in his usual smile.  Ekko made sure he would be remembered that way: smiling, without a care in the world.

He knew his fresh tears would be smudging the paint on his face, but he couldn't bring himself to care.  It was the one-year marker of Ajuna's death, and Ekko let himself cry freely as he cursed his own inability to save the kid, despite all of his attempts.

He didn't return to the mural often.  It only reminded him of all the people he could never save, of all the people he had let down.  It was only on nights like this when he allowed his emotions to overtake his mind, and it was only tonight that he let himself fall so far deep into his mourning that he didn't hear the footsteps approach him until someone spoke.

"This is where you were?" Ezreal asked, and Ekko jerked his head up in surprise.  He couldn't imagine any reason why _Ezreal_ , of all people, would come to Zaun, _alone_ , and _at night_.  He hastily wiped away his tears, smearing his face paint and getting it all over his hands.

"O-oh, yeah," he said, trying to sound casual, even though he knew that Ezreal had seen him crying.

Ezreal didn't speak for a moment, instead directing his gaze toward the mural.  The candlelight glinted off his eyes and made them shine, and the flickering of the flames played around with the shadows on his face as he looked at each portrait on the wall.

"What is all this?" he finally asked, sitting down on the side of Ekko that wasn't occupied by the Z-Drive.

"A memorial," Ekko responded, deciding that being succinct was the best way to keep his emotions under control.

"It's really cool."  Ezreal didn't seem to notice the waver in Ekko's voice.  Perhaps he was just ignoring it.  "Did you paint it?"

Ekko pointed toward his contribution.  "I did his."

Ezreal hummed a little.  "Do a lot of people come here and do this?" he asked, never looking away from the portraits.

"Just the gangs," Ekko explained, and he found it easier and easier to talk the longer he was in Ezreal's presence.  "It's sort of a tradition, I guess."

"Why's she up there?"  The blond pointed at the sloppy painting of Jinx, her number written in large, blocky handwriting beneath her chin.  Ezreal grimaced as he saw it.

"When she first left Zaun, a lot of people thought she'd died."  Ekko shrugged.  "I guess she did, in a way."

Ezreal pursed his lips as if he disapproved of what Ekko had admitted, but he didn't comment on it.  Instead, he asked, "How did that boy die?"

"I…"  Ekko felt like he was choking, and suddenly his binder felt too tight on his chest as he remembered everything from that night.  He shook his head clear of panic, but his voice came out hoarse.  "I couldn't save him."

"You tried your best."  Ezreal put his hand on Ekko's shoulder, but any comforting warmth that he might have shared was blocked by the thick leather of his glove.  Ekko smiled at the sentiment nonetheless.

"How did you find me?" he asked, finally turning toward Ezreal.  The blond gave him a quick, half-hearted smile, but it quickly turned into a scowl as a loud crashing sound came from the darker parts of the alley.

"He came to the expert, _duh_."  A loud, shrill voice laughed, and the voice's owner popped into existence, twirling her blue braids in her hands.

"I…had some help," Ezreal explained, but he looked like the words tasted bad in his mouth.

"Jinx," Ekko said, noting just how many fresh wounds littered her skin and stood out, the crimson brightly contrasting the paleness of her skin.  "How did you…?"

"Just a hunch."  She shrugged as she twirled around the alley, laughing loudly enough to drown out all the other noises Zaun had to offer.

"Sorry, I got worried about you and—" Ezreal started, but he clamped his mouth shut when he saw tears fill Ekko's eyes.  "Oh, no, I—I'm sorry, Ekko, I—"

"Thanks," he said, wiping a dirty arm across his face in an attempt to wipe away his tears.  He only managed in removing most of his remaining face paint, however, and his tears still flowed freely down his cheeks.

"Huh?"  Ezreal looked dumbstruck.

Jinx laughed from across the alley, where she had plopped down right underneath her own portrait.  "Aw, he's touched!" she cooed, but her harsh voice removed any sense of kindness or caring from her words.

Ezreal looked back and forth between the two of them.  "I'm…"

Ekko's throat had closed, and so he couldn't stop Jinx from continuing on.  "He's happy you came.  Can't say the same about me, but hey, at least I'm not impeding on your boring little pity party."

Ekko wanted to say that _yes_ , that's exactly what she was doing, but he couldn't.  And besides, that wasn't what she had been wrong about, anyway.  He was happy that both of them came.  Why he was happy that Jinx had shown up, he wasn't sure, but he had known that she was the tipping point on his scale of emotional balance.

"Hey, I'll always come when you need me," Ezreal said, massaging his gloved hand into Ekko's shoulder.  Ekko could only cry harder in response, but he made sure his gaze was steady as he stared at Jinx.

Jinx caught his eye and met it steadily, resting her head on bony fingers as she perched her elbows upright on her legs.  It didn't look comfortable.  "Fishbones told me that you'd need some company today," she said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world that she _talked to her guns_ and that they _apparently responded_.

Ekko winced at the name of her favorite gun, and Jinx grinned smugly at her victory over their impromptu staring contest.

"He still likes you," she whispered, and Ekko had to strain his ears against the hissing sounds of nearby factories to catch her words.

"Fishbones is your…gun, right?" Ezreal asked, oblivious to the meaning behind the conversation.  "How can he talk?"

Jinx laughed again, but it came out sour, as if Ezreal's doubt had upset her.  "Of course he talks," she said matter-of-factly, but her eyes flickered away from the two boys.  "He's my best friend.  Well, my only friend.  Pow-Pow is kind of lame."

Ekko's chest twinged at that, but he couldn't place why.  He hadn't been her friend in years; it was nothing new to either of them.  But somewhere, a guilty conscience screamed at him.

His tears had dried up again, and he was grateful that he would probably be able to talk normally again, though his face was still hot and his hands were still clammy.  "Whatever.  I can…deal with this alone, you know.  You guys don't have to be here."

"I'm not going anywhere," Ezreal said firmly, scooting closer into Ekko's side as if to prove his point.

"I made a new enemy and they're waiting for me at the end of that alley," Jinx said, a twinkle in her eye.  She was proud of it.  "And I forgot my guns at home."

"You have a home?" Ezreal asked incredulously.

"Nope," Jinx said, leaning back against her portrait.  She grinned, daring them to keep questioning, but both of the boys knew that they wouldn't get any more information out of her.  When it was clear that they wouldn't be goaded so easily, she frowned.  "So take all the time you need.  I'm sure that kid would be happy you're here for him."

Ekko became painfully aware of his Z-Drive next to him, which whirred with an enthusiasm he hadn't heard all night.  With a shrug, he decided to let them stay.  He bowed his head and sent a silent apology to Ajuna over and over again, and the rest of the night was spent in silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basically I think Ezreal's an easy guy to get along with, even if he can be super overbearing most of the time because he's sooooo full of himself. Anyway poor Jinx, no one likes her lmao (but they will THEY WILL because I love her and so, too, must they. Right?). Also I've literally never seen anything about Ez/Jinx like how would that even work lol they seem like they'd hate each other but oh well ;)


	6. How to Deal with a Boyfriend Who Lacks Self-Preservation Skills

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Describe the texture of pain. (Ezreal/Ekko)

There came a sharp rapping on Ezreal's door in the early morning, just minutes after he had woken up.  With a grumble, he pushed back the quilts on his bed and stood, stretching his tired joints before he made his way to the front door of his apartment.  Whoever had come to see him before even the sun had risen above the horizon would need a damn good explanation for their visit.

He regretted his thoughts as soon as he opened the door and allowed Ekko to spill into the small foyer.  The boy could hardly hold himself up, and Ezreal just barely caught him before he hit the floor.  Ekko was grasping his side and gasping for breath.  The stench of blood coated him, but Ezreal couldn't see any stains—yet.

His heart pounded heavily in his chest, as if it were trying to break free.  "What happened?" he shouted, forgetting in his shock that most of the people around him were still asleep.  Ekko just shook his head and motioned with his free hand to the inside of Ezreal's home.

Careful to avoid hurting him more, Ezreal helped Ekko to his couch, and they tumbled onto it together, Ekko hissing in pain as he landed.

"Okay, start talking," Ezreal demanded, trying his best to ignore the way his hands shook as he moved them across Ekko's body, searching for injuries.

"Pilties…" Ekko panted, sweat beading on his forehead.  "They don't like me much."

He didn't look like he was about to say more, and Ezreal didn't blame him for it.  He didn't completely understand the situation, but he'd patched himself up enough to know what to do in this kind of situation.  Exploring was filled with all kinds of danger, after all.

In his bathroom was a small kit filled with the bare necessities for cleaning and dressing wounds.  He left Ekko on the couch and dashed about the apartment, grabbing the kit as well as a cloth before returning to the boy's side.

"I can't help you if you don't move your hand," Ezreal said flatly when Ekko made no move to show off his wounds.  With a sigh that turned into a wet, painful cough, Ekko dragged his hand down his belly to rest at his side, and Ezreal finally assessed the injuries.

He had a black eye so swollen that he could hardly open it, but it wasn't the worst of the wounds.  His neck had scratch marks etched deep into his raw skin; whether it was from a person or some kind of weapon, Ezreal couldn't guess.  Ekko's chest rose and fell quickly with each labored breath, but it hadn't been injured.  Ezreal lingered on his abdomen, though.  He couldn't see everything because Ekko's shirt and binder were still on, but the way the blood coated and stained the entire lower half of his torso indicated some level of severity.

"I have to take off your shirt," Ezreal said as he picked up the torn clothing, but Ekko was quick.  He swatted his hand away, gasping in pain as his fingers connected with Ezreal's.

"You're not taking off anything."  Ekko glared through his good eye.  His voice was weak and quiet, but it held the same amount of malice as he suspected would come from his normal, healthy voice.

"But I have to—"

"Pull it up, but not too far," Ekko demanded even as he did it for him.  The movement quite obviously caused him distress, and so Ezreal took over, careful to stop just over his sternum.  With the clothing gone, Ezreal could finally see the bloody burn stretching from his belly button across his side in a jagged, uneven oval.

"Gross," Ezreal said as he scrunched up his nose at the fresh smell of blood.

"Right?"  Ekko started to laugh, but it broke off in place of a groan.  "Can you fix it?"

"Yeah, no problem."  He placed the cloth gingerly onto Ekko's side, wincing as the boy hissed in pain.  "Sorry."

Ekko didn't respond, and Ezreal glanced up from his work only long enough to note that he had passed out.  It was better this way, he figured.  He wouldn't feel anything.

He opened the kit to find a large role of bandages, which he quickly unraveled.  He glanced from the bandages, to the unconscious boy on his couch, back to the bandages.  Ezreal was by no means weak, but he still knew that lifting him to wrap his wound would be a daunting task.  Nevertheless, he tugged at Ekko's shoulders, lifting them up.  He quickly moved one of his arms under Ekko's head, and then he turned the boy until he was leaning back against the chair.

Letting Ekko fall limp, he grabbed the bandages again and started wrapping, looping it around his torso several times so that it was thick and padded.  Securing the wrap with a pin, he watched the bandages as Ekko's blood soaked through the material.  Ezreal grimaced.

His hands brushed over the wet spot on the bandage, his fingers becoming sticky as he touched the blood.  The cloth was woven tightly, ridged in regular intervals.  The elastic held the dressing close to Ekko's dark skin, and the cream of the bandages looked even brighter against that darkness.

Ezreal's breath had hitched in his throat, and he swallowed to clear it.  His eyes pricked as his vision became blurry, and he blinked to clear them.  Whoever had done something like this was despicable, but Ezreal had to wonder why Ekko would be walking around in Piltover, of all places, if he knew what would happen if he did.

It was probably his fault, though.  Ekko didn't really know anyone else in Piltover, or at least not well enough to risk his safety crossing the border.  He had to have been coming to see Ezreal, and on his way, he had a nasty run-in with some local assholes.

"Don't you do time stuff or something?" Ezreal said, frowning down at him.

"Doesn't work like that."  Ekko's voice was soft and riddled with pain, but at least he was conscious.

"It's not gonna heal overnight, you know," Ezreal pointed out.  "Bandages don't do all that much.  You should stay here while it heals."

"Oh, no, what a pity," Ekko said, heavy sarcasm dripping off of each word.  His eyes were still closed, but there was the ghost of a smirk on his face.  "And here I thought you'd finally leave me alone."

Ezreal rolled his eyes.  "You're the one who came to me."

"My mistake."

Ezreal pulled himself onto the couch beside him.  "I'm not done fixing you up.  You're in pretty bad shape."

"Can it wait until I pass out again?"  Ekko cracked his eyes open and looked at Ezreal out of the corners.  "I'd rather not have to deal with it."

With a snort, Ezreal nodded.  "You're an idiot."

"Yeah, I am.  But now I have someone to make me breakfast, so who's the real winner here?"  Ekko's smirk grew into a wide grin, even though his face was tense.  The smile fell off his face soon after.

"Hope you like eggs," was Ezreal's only reply as he pushed himself back off the couch, shaking his head at the boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ehhhhhhhhhhhhh this one is bad. I was so excited for this prompt, too, and then I forgot what I was gonna write about OOPS. At least it's still so fucking gay.


	7. Moonlight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What does moonlight taste like? (Lux/Ekko)

Why had she agreed to this?

Zaun was a terrifying, dangerous place during the day.  Its skies were bleak and colorless.  Its buildings were tall and imposing.  Its people were conniving and self-serving.  It was no safer a location than Noxus itself, and Lux had agreed to meet Ekko there.  At night, no less.

Lux's specialty was light.  She could bend photons to do her bidding, and she was happiest under a bright, welcoming sun.  Without light to ground her, to keep her warm and safe, she felt powerless.  And tonight, she would be powerless, in Zaun, with a boy she hardly knew.

She trusted Ezreal's judgment, sure.  He was her boyfriend, after all.  He had told her that Ekko was a good guy, if not a little careless, but as long as she was around him, nothing would ever go wrong.

So when Ekko had offered to show Lux the nightlife of Zaun, she had agreed to go.  Even if she felt powerless at night, she was far from it.  She could still bend light from artificial sources, and if that failed, she had been trained extensively in self-defense.  She could handle herself.  And, according to Ezreal, nothing would go wrong as long as she stuck around Ezreal.

She wasn't without her doubts, however.  As she stood on the border between Piltover and Zaun, Lux wondered if it wasn't too late to turn around and go back to Ezreal's apartment.  But then she saw the shocking white hair turn a corner and head directly for her.  Ekko waved, a smile plastered to his face.

"You're here!" he yelled over the crowd of people between them, weaving in and out of people to reach her.  If his hair hadn't stood out so starkly against the dull browns and grays of Zaun, Lux probably wouldn't have seen him.

She waited to respond until he was standing in front of her, the tips of his Mohawk just barely reaching her eye level.  He craned his neck to look up at her, and his grin was nearly blinding.  She flashed her own smile in return, but it was more diplomatic than sincere.  "You sound surprised."

"I was thinking you weren't going to come," he explained, scratching the back of his neck as he glanced to the side.

"Well, I've been told the nightlife here is quite an experience."  It wasn't a lie.  Ezreal _had_ told her that, and even though the setting sun cast deep shadows over the street and bathed the people in an eerie darkness, she kept her fake smile firmly plastered on her face.

"Well, it is if you know where to go."  Ekko winked, and then he held his hand out for her to take.  "And I just so happen to know that there's a great club near here."

"Club?"  Lux furrowed her brows together, and her grin fell into a frown nearly instantaneously.  "Are we even old enough to get into a club?"

Ekko actually _laughed_ at her, doubling over just enough to give him an excuse to ignore the piercing glare she sent his way.  He wiped an imaginary tear from the corner of his eye.  "I think one thing you'll find out pretty quickly that Zaun isn't as big on rules as Demacia is."

This time, Lux took Ekko's outstretched hand, taking in the callous that seemed to entirely form his palm and fingers.  She had hesitated enough, and hesitation was not something she admired.  Ekko led her down the street, through the bustling people who had no courtesy to duck out of their way and instead would push their way past the two.  Lux's mouth had pursed itself into a thin line, annoyed at how the people would jostle her about without so much as an apology, but Ekko didn't pay any mind to them and would push back just the same.  She never saw anyone so much as bat an eye to the rough treatment.

The club was called Half Life, according to a small, flickering neon sign perched just above the door.  The inside was tiny and run-down, and there was hardly any lighting except for the harsh neon that lined the trim of the walls and illuminated the bar at the back of the room.  Blacklights set up throughout the room made the white of her shirt glow brightly against the otherwise dark establishment.  Deep, heavy beats reverberated off the peeling wallpaper and thudded against Lux's ears.  She could hardly hear what the tune of the song was over the bass, but she didn't much care to find out.

Ekko brought her past the distressed wooden tables, cracked and crumbling, and directly to the bar.  There were no seats open; all were filled by people of varying sizes and shapes.  They approached the counter, Ekko worming his way in between a scrawny boy with a dirty face and a large woman whose most prominent feature was her scowl.  There was a young woman behind the counter, and she looked like she would kill the next person to talk to her.  Lux wasn't necessarily afraid of her, but she wasn't necessarily _not_ afraid of her, either.  Ekko, however, seemed at ease with the lady's harsh expression.

"We're looking for a good time," he yelled over the music with a wink, and though the bartender's expression never changed, she nodded and turned away.  Ekko turned back to Lux with a cheeky grin, but she responded merely with a single raised eyebrow, careful not to let her true feelings show on her exterior.

Lux scrutinized the bartender as she mixed alcohols and flavors until the liquid was a deep blue, and she poured it into two tall, skinny glasses.  The drinks sparkled brilliantly in the dim light, almost preternaturally so.  The angry-looking woman slid the drinks down the bar, and Ekko caught them with surprising ease as he tossed a coin back at her.

"It's called Moonlight," he explained as he handed Lux a glass.  She eyed the liquid warily, making the distinct connection between the drink and its namesake.  Of course, she had drunk before, plenty of times, but this would be the first time she had done so outside of a controlled environment, and with an alcohol of dubious content.

"Thank you," she said, though she made no effort to bring the glass to her lips.

Ekko raised an eyebrow at her, tilting his head back to chug the Moonlight.  Lux could almost see the buzz immediately wash over him, energizing his every movement as his grin grew wider and his movements became more fluid.

"This is my favorite place to go," he said, ignoring the fact that Lux had still not touched her drink.  She followed him into an open area of the club where crowds of people were dancing roughly and crudely against each other in the packed space.  Lux, herself, couldn't find the appeal of the place, but she said nothing against it.

Ekko grabbed at her hand again, and she struggled to maintain her grip on the drink as he spun her around.  He placed a hand on her waist and began to sway, completely out of time with the upbeat song playing throughout the club.  She indulged him, though, and mimicked his motions.

He looked up into her eyes, watching her reactions carefully.  Lux was careful to keep her face impassive and cool as they danced.

"You're not enjoying yourself," he slurred after another swig of his Moonlight.  He frowned, his eyebrows pinching together as his nose scrunched up.  It was a cute expression, but Lux wouldn't admit it out loud.

"Of course I am," she lied with a bright smile that she could imagine was lost to the darkness of the club.

"You don't have to worry about anything here," he insisted, a statement which told Lux just how far past her façade he could see.  "You can loosen up here.  You're free."  Ekko closed his eyes and smiled, and then he brought the drink back up to his lips and downed the last of the Moonlight.  They shuffled toward a table as they continued to dance, and be placed the empty glass gingerly on the surface.  Lux had no doubts that it would eventually crash to the floor, having been run into by some careless dancer, but it was not her place to worry about such things.

Instead, she repeated Ekko's drunken words in her mind as she stared around at the faceless people dancing far too closely together.  She was free?  What did that even mean?  She could chalk it all up to some meaningless drivel, as the alcohol was clearly strong enough to cause such inhibition to intelligent conversation.  But Lux could tell the sincerity behind Ekko's words.

She realized she had been hesitating again, and she scolded herself for it.  Without a second thought, she untangled her arm from Ekko's and lifted the drink, deep and blue, to her mouth.

It hit her like a supernova.  The alcohol burned her mouth, but it was so incredibly sweet that she almost couldn't stop herself from taking more.  Dozens of flavors lingered in her mouth long after she pulled the drink away, intent on savoring the Moonlight as long as she could.  There was the distinct tartness of blackberries, but it was balanced by an indescribable sweetness, almost like lemonade.  Though the alcohol was nearly overwhelming in its strength, she could still taste the fruity additions clearly, and she took another sip of the drink to satisfy her craving for more.

"This is good," she said, giggling a little.  She couldn't believe that she already felt light-headed and tipsy from just a small drink, but she looked back at her glass to find it more than half-empty.  She frowned, but Ekko's laugh distracted her from her discovery.

"Zaun has the best drinks," he explained with a shrug.  His dancing became more rhythmic now that he didn't have to worry about Lux spilling her drink, and she reciprocated with her own upbeat twists and shimmies.

"I think you're right!" she exclaimed, forgetting all about her earlier determination to savor her drink as she finished the rest.  They were close enough to a table that she was able to put it down, but she missed the surface by a few inches, and she watched as the glass shattered against the wooden floor.  The sound could hardly be heard over the din of the club, and Lux had to choke back laughter at her mistake. 

She gasped, trying to remember just how she was able to fake emotions.  "Oopsie."  Her poor attempt at shock and remorse was somehow funny to her, and she ended up letting out the giggles that she had been trying to hold back.

  Ekko seemed equally unperturbed by the broken glass on the floor.  He dragged her into the thick of the crowd, and Lux followed willingly and excitedly.  She could feel the faceless people rubbing against her, but suddenly she didn't mind anymore.  In fact, she didn't much care about anything anymore.  She just wanted to dance and enjoy herself.

Ekko twirled her around, and when she bumped into a tall, thin person, she let herself fall into their arms.  She let herself be jostled around, not caring who grabbed at her arm to pull her further into the middle because she knew Ekko was still holding her hand as they moved through the dance floor.

Everything was a blur of colors and darkness, and she wasn't entirely sure where one person began and another ended.  The only clear thing in her world at that moment was Ekko, who continued to smile brightly up at her as she let her hair out of her bun and shook her head, causing her hair to fall messily into her face.

Ekko reached up and pulled more hair, clumped together from sweat, into her face, and she laughed with him as she draped her arms around his shoulders.  She giggled again.  "You're so short."

He scrunched his face back up into that adorable expression.  "I'm normal height.  You're just freakishly tall."

She snorted, loud and clear, and she could feel eyes on her from all directions.  She decided that she didn't care.  "I'm more normal height than you."  She lifted her arm to twirl him around, laughter bubbling up again as her arm was tickled by the tips of his snowy white hair.

Through the haze in her mind, she realized that Ezreal had been right.  Ekko was so much better than her fears had led her to believe.  He had showed her a good time, in _Zaun_ , of all places.

Lux pulled Ekko closer to her as they danced, pulsing to the rhythm of the bass.  Her last thought before her mind was totally clouded over from the alcohol and atmosphere was that, at least with Ekko around, Zaun wasn't such a scary place after all.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I headcanon Lux as pretty tall (5'7") and then Ekko's tiny af (5'1") poor little guy I love him. Also I've never even been to a club or gotten drunk so basically why did I write this??? The world may never know. The moonlight was laced with some drugs probably I mean it is Zaun after all.


	8. TFW You Fall in Love with a Murderer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Describe how it feels inside your mouth to say I love you. (Lux/Jinx)

Jinx was crude, a disgusting loudmouth with no sense of tact or hygiene.  She had an oily face covered in zits, and her long braids was the only thing that made her greasy hair look decent.  She yelled too loudly and couldn't keep a secret to save her life.  She talked to her guns and didn't know how to be discreet if her life depended on it.  She was infuriating to the point of exhaustion.  And to top it all off, she got her kicks out of death and destruction, and she was _proud_ of it.

And Lux was totally, head-over-heels in love with her.

She wasn't sure when it had happened.  Perhaps it had been when Jinx had kidnapped her from her room and whisked her away for an impromptu vacation to the coast.  Maybe it was the time when Lux had found Jinx unconscious on the streets of Demacia, reeking of alcohol and sweat and something else she couldn't place.

Whatever the reason, she couldn't just deny her feelings, not matter how much she wanted to.  And gods, did she want to.

She was dating Ezreal!  There was no way she could be in love with another person.  She was perfectly happy with her boyfriend, and she had no intention to leave him any time soon.

She had been pacing around her room, waiting for Jinx to show up at her window just like she did every Friday night, but a terrible thought caused her to stop dead in her tracks.

"Am I cheating?" she wondered aloud, the words startling her to her very core.  Ezreal didn't deserve this—didn't deserve her.  He would be so mad at her when he found out, if he found out.  No, he would definitely find out.  It would be worse to keep something like this from him.

A loud rapping at her window scared her out of her thoughts, and she turned to see the pale face she had come to find beautiful in its own, oily way.  Both she and Jinx knew that the window was unlocked, but Jinx still had the courtesy to alert Lux to her presence.  At the very least, it gave Lux the time to worry a bit longer before Jinx would undoubtedly pressure her into spilling her guts.

Jinx pulled open the window and leaned on the edge, making no attempts to come into the room.  So, they would be going out tonight.  Lux was still recovering from her sort-of date with Ekko, but both of the girls knew that she would never say no to Jinx.  And how could she?

"Hey there, sunshine," Jinx mocked, cocking her head to the side and giving her a sideways grin.  Lux squashed down the fluttering in her chest and nodded in greeting.

"Hi, Jinx," she said, her eyes flitting around everywhere but the blue-haired girl who was unknowingly tearing down every wall Lux had put up around her to maintain her cool, calm exterior.

"You seem all jittery tonight."  Jinx's scratchy voice gave no mercy in its pursuit to completely control Lux, and she started to pace in an attempt to release some of the pent up frustration that she felt simply by being in the other girl's presence.

"Jittery?  Me?  Nooo," Lux insisted a little too quickly.

Jinx cocked an eyebrow at her, and then her lips stretched into a sly grin, her too-thin lips almost disappearing.  "That so?  Well, then, guess you won't mind if I come in, then."

Without waiting for a reply, she pulled herself into the room and plopped down on Lux's bed, dirtying the pristinely white blankets with her muddy clothes.  Lux could only take wild guesses as to how Jinx had managed to utterly destroy those pants, but she left that thought behind when she realized that she was staring a little too long at the other girl's legs.

Jinx watched with a careful fascination, cocking her head forward as she examined Lux with undiluted intensity.  "You're hiding something."

Lux's eyes went wide as she shook her head fiercely, knowing that Jinx wouldn't believe her for a second.  "No, I'm not!"

Jinx stared at her, an amused grin plastered sloppily on her face.  The smile created a fullness to her cheeks that hid just how gaunt her face truly was.  "You're a dirty liar," she sang.  "And we aren't going to that totally _amazing_ club I found until you tell me the truth."

"What if I don't want to tell you?" Lux wanted more than anything to tell Jinx.

"Again with the lies.  You may look all put together pretty like a picture, but you're as clear as a window.  And not the gross, dirty ones in Zaun.  The real fancy ones you have here."  Jinx gestured to the window through which she had entered.

Lux rolled her eyes.  "An analogy, I'm impressed."

"I don't talk it, but I'm just as smart as you, Miss Military Girl," Jinx retorted, and Lux chuckled at the childish name-calling.

"Why do you do this?" Lux asked before she could stop herself.  When she realized she had spoken aloud, she clamped her mouth shut, feeling heat rise to her cheeks and a bead of sweat form on her forehead.

"Do what?" Jinx asked lazily, thinking nothing of the comment.

Lux cleared her throat, trying to drag out her answer as long as possible.  "You know, _that_."

"I do a whole lot of things.  You're gonna have to be more specific."  Jinx still looked nonchalant, and it was the only thing that assured Lux that Jinx couldn't totally see through Lux's barely-concealed secret.  She was certain that Jinx would be howling with laughter—or at the very least, mortified—if she knew the truth.

"W-well, everything, I guess," she mumbled, trying her best to keep some semblance of dignity in the face of exposure, but she could feel her pile of lies beginning to crumble away under her feet.

Jinx's grin darkened to something sly, and she scooted across the bed, dragging stains of mud down the white covers that were going to take several washes to remove.  "Tell me what's on your mind, buttercup."

Lux shook her head, not trusting her words anymore.  She knew.  Jinx wasn't dumb.  She was a brilliant person, and now she _knew_.  She had figured it out, just like that.  And Jinx knew that Lux knew she knew.  And now, she was just toying with her, trying to get a rise out of her.  And Lux couldn't hide anymore behind the walls she had erected around her for so long because Jinx had single-handedly torn them down brick by brick without Lux even noticing.

"Oh, come _on_ ," Jinx goaded, her eyes narrowed into tiny pink slits that looked so outlandishly uncharacteristic on her face.  Jinx's eyes were always wide and full of wonder, and this new look in her eye—this mischievous glint that gave her the upper hand—was so out of place, and Lux only wanted to see that childish merriment again.

She mumbled under her breath, so low that there was no way Jinx could hear it.  She knew what Lux was saying, anyhow.  There was no reason to say it any louder.

"Sorry, what was that?"  Jinx put a hand to her ear, and Lux resisted the urge to snarl at the girl.  She was not enjoying this confrontation nearly as much as Jinx appeared to.

Her lips a thin line, pursed to control her temper, Lux squared her shoulders and straightened her back, determined to give Jinx what she wanted so she would stop playing games with her.  It wasn't as if it would change anything.  She was with Ezreal, and no matter what she felt for Jinx in the present moment, she couldn't betray her boyfriend's trust.  She would break it off with Jinx, and they would go their separate ways, and everything would be righted, and she would move on.

"I…love you."  Lux spoke the words slowly, and her voice wavered, but as she let those three life-shattering words fall off her tongue in a jumble of confusion and embarrassment, a crushing weight she hadn't even noticed seemed to lift off of her and disappear.

In the silence that followed, Lux could taste the words in her mouth.  They were sour, and she puckered her lips in disgust with herself.  But they were also sweet, so impossibly sweet, and she felt so light and happy, much more so than she had been in a long time.  She had said those words countless times to Ezreal, and she had received the words from him almost every night they had spent together, but this felt so much different.  Not necessarily better, but Lux knew there was something different about this time.

Ezreal was like home, a familiar warmth that was always with her.  But Jinx… Jinx was a firework, an explosion of passion and desire that Lux had never felt before.  It was exciting and terrifying all at the same time, and Lux didn't know how to deal with it.  But she would deal with it, and then she would get over it and return to Ezreal as if nothing ever happened between them at all.

When she finally mustered the courage to look Jinx in the eye again, the girl's eyes had settled back into the wide-eyed wonder that Lux adored.  Her thin lips had curled into a smile, but it was twisted, a knowing grin that mocked Lux's sincerity.  Her dusty hands were rubbing brown dirt all over her bedspread as she leaned back, contemplating her response.

Finally, Jinx spoke, her words echoing in the silence.  "I know."

Lux's heart thudded against her chest once, twice.  Neither of them spoke as Lux took in what Jinx had said, and as soon as she worked through the words thoroughly and completely, her nostrils flared and her fingers clenched into a fist, ready to strike.

"You _know_?" she yelled.  "That's all you have to say to that?  I fall in love with someone like _you_ —and mind, I have a boyfriend who I am devoted to—and all you can say back to me when I pour my heart out and let loose this secret I've been keeping inside of me for _weeks_ is 'I know?'"

"Yeah, I suppose so," Jinx said, kicking her heavy boots against the bedframe.  She fell back onto the bed, her greasy bangs falling to the side of her head and revealing her small, pale forehead.  "Good for you, though."

Lux screamed.  She was too far gone to remember her manners, and she doubted Lux would appreciate her self-control anyway.  There was no way to get through to the girl with diplomacy.  If she wanted to make Jinx listen to her, she would have to play just as dirty as the clothes which had ruined her bed.

Lux jumped onto the bed, throwing Jinx off of it and onto the floor.  She tackled the girl, trying to get a punch in through Jinx's arms, which were skillfully blocking each blow.  Her cries of frustration drowned out whatever Jinx was saying to her, but Lux didn't care.  She was going to wipe the smug grin off of Jinx's face if it _killed_ her.  And, she realized as a fist came flying straight toward her nose, it just might.

She flew backward and landed on her butt against her nightstand, dazed.  She reached up and cupped her nose, feeling the sticky wetness of her blood dripping down her fingers.  She hardly registered the pain, and even what she could feel was just a dull throbbing in the back of her mind.

"Holy _shit_ ," Jinx panted—or was that a laugh?  Lux couldn't tell through the haze in her mind.

"What?" Lux asked, but she looked straight through Jinx.  She was having a hard time concentrating on anything.

"You're acting like I turned you down or something," Jinx said, her voice distant in Lux's mind.  But when she finally took in the words, she blinked her eyes back into focus and looked right at Jinx.

"Huh?"  Her mind was still far too jumbled to make out any kind of intelligent thought.

"Do I really have to spell this kind of thing out for you?  Jeez, you Demacians sure are dumb."  This time Jinx's broken speech really was a laugh, and the harsh, shrill chortles were like music to Lux's stunned mind.

"I take offedse to that," Lux said, tilting her head back to try and stop the bleeding of her nose.  She could think again, and the initial shock of the punch had worn off.

"Yeah, yeah."  Jinx waved her hand, stained with drops of Lux's blood, dismissing her statement.  "But fine, I'll break it down for your tiny brain to comprehend: I didn't say I didn't like you back."

Lux turned a harsh glare to match Jinx's glee-filled gaze.  She watched Jinx shrug, as if admitting her shared feelings were no big deal.  And maybe they weren't, not to her.  She didn't have ties to another person, and she wasn't raised under the strict virtues of Demacia.  Maybe this was nothing more than a silly game to her.

"We cad't do this."  Lux shook her head, trying to rid herself of the sudden fluttering of her stomach and the unwelcome rosy haze that filled her mind with unattainable thoughts of being with Jinx.

Jinx didn't say anything back.  Her only response was a frown and furrowed brows.

"We cab't date," she reiterated, wishing for the life of her that her nose would stop bleeding so that this moment wouldn't be ruined by her inability to speak properly.  "I'b dating Ezreal."

"Who cares?"

"Sorry?"  Lux couldn't have heard her right.  She knew Jinx was uncaring toward people, a menace to society, but she couldn't just ignore facts.

"I said, _who cares?_ "  Jinx laughed again, filling all of Lux's thoughts with Jinx and only Jinx, pushing all her worries away and replacing them with promises of exciting nights and lazy days.  "You can date more than one person, you know.  You're pretty thick, you know that?"

Lux absorbed Jinx's words, but she didn't respond.  She continued to listen to the shrill laughter that hadn't been contained and sobered by rules and manners, and she wondered if, maybe, Jinx was right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ????????????? This is so much longer than I intended


End file.
